If there’s anything to be thankful about in 2022, it’s the revival of the F&B industry in Jakarta following the pandemic culinary lull.
It was, admittedly, at times hard to keep up with the meteoric growth of the industry, with new restaurants and cafés popping up left, right, and center. Yet we managed to do our best to stuff our bellies in the service of our culinary-conscious readers.
We deliver to you our picks of new Jakarta F&B establishments that impressed us the most this year. Let’s take it away.
When the American smokehouse from Singapore announced its expansion into Jakarta, we were excited to see if it would be legit amid the explosion of steakhouses in recent years (many of which, in our opinion, are pretenders at best). Meatsmith proved to be a fine addition to the capital’s steak scene, with their juicy, smoky, delicious slabs of meat leaving us hungry for more.
Beyond food, it has become increasingly essential for F&B establishments to provide novel atmospheres. Few get the mix right like Kemang pool bar Dikolam, which opened this year and took a splash into the open-air hangouts trend in the capital.
Iced Sea Salt Latte, anyone?’ Harlan + Holden encouraged us to venture away from our es kopi susu comfort zone this year, and this coffee shop from the Philippines was a great option for those who would like to get experimental with their cuppa.
A popular global F&B chain opening in Jakarta? That sounds like the perfect recipe for immense hype and long lines. Of all the queuing for food we had to do in 2022, doing it for Cinnabon was one instance that we did not regret. We sure can’t get enough of them sweet, sweet buns.
We’re cheating by killing 13 birds with one stone here — we wrote this guide to capture the impressive growth of the culinary industry on the outskirts of Jakarta, particularly in BSD, Gading Serpong, and other parts of Greater Tangerang, where you can find all the best that the capital has to offer and more. Notable mentions go to Indian/Mediterranean/Persian fusion restaurant Zibaa, Five Monkeys Burger, and One Fifteenth café.
We’re one of those weird people who enjoy a bowl of cereal for dessert, so we’re rounding up this list with Sunday Bowl Cereal Club. The cereal specialists from Bandung opened in Panglima Polim early this year to our giddy delight, as we were cruelly robbed of what we would call “imported cereals” from the West during our childhood.
